<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Mechanically Yours by winter_writes</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24325402">Mechanically Yours</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/winter_writes/pseuds/winter_writes'>winter_writes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Autistic Entrapta (She-Ra), Canon Autistic Character, Canon Disabled Character, Chronic Illness, Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Don't copy to another site, F/M, Feelings, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Hordak is Crushing Harder than a 12-Year-Old Girl, Hordak isn't good with emotions but he's trying, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, Mind Control Aftermath &amp; Recovery, Napping, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sharing a Bed, Sleepy Cuddles, Smooching, Touching, putting Hordak in a comfy sweater because this is my fic and I make the rules</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 05:28:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,976</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24325402</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/winter_writes/pseuds/winter_writes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Time under Horde Prime’s control without his suit to support his body has left Hordak weak, but he doesn’t tell Entrapta how much he’s hurting until he collapses…</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>87</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>790</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
Hordak kept telling himself that he was fine.
</p><p>
He was, really. Prime was gone, and he was walking back to Dryl with Entrapta.
</p><p>
He was just a little shocked at his newfound freedom, that was all.
</p><p>
Except it wasn’t that, was it?
</p><p>
There were aches running their way up and down his arms and legs. His spine had stopped merely hurting and started radiating pain. At every step, his knees threatened to give out.
</p><p>
He’d been too long without his suit. The clones must have taken it away after the first time Horde Prime wiped his mind, because when he’d woken up, it had been gone. Along with the dark colour of his hair and the red of his eyes. He had been sterilised, mind and body wiped to a blank slate. The new armour they gave him – armour that every clone wore – was bulky enough to hide that he was thinner and weaker than the other clones, but offered no support to his body whatsoever.
</p><p>
Even with no memories and completely under Prime’s control, he’d known to conceal his weakness; to hold himself tall when he wanted to collapse, to bite the inside of his cheek when he wanted to cry out from the pain, to force himself to stay awake when unconsciousness threatened. If he’d shown any outward sign of the imperfections of his body, he would have been sent to die just like the last time.
</p><p>
Now, of course, there’s no need to hide his imperfections. Entrapta likes them. She thinks they’re beautiful.
</p><p>
 (Every time he remembers this, Hordak feels a warmth spread out from underneath his sternum. He has his suspicions about the cause of this feeling, but they are all somewhat frightening.)
</p><p>
Still, he doesn’t want Entrapta to worry. As soon as they get to Crypto Castle, he can make himself a new suit and everything will be fine.
</p><p>
Completely fine.
</p><p>
And look, there’s the castle’s front gate. They’ve arrived.
</p><p>
And if his head feels fuzzy, then surely that’s just the heat of the day.
</p><p>
Hordak was unconscious before he hit the ground.
</p><p>
*
</p><p>
He woke to find himself lying on something incredibly soft.
</p><p>
Everything hurt. He tried to sit up, his whole body protested, and he lay back with a wince.
</p><p>
A beeping and whirring came from the corner of the room. Hordak turned his head and opened his eyes.
</p><p>
Emily sat in the corner of the room, her camera glowing purple.
</p><p>
 “Emily,” rasped Hordak. He was thirsty, he realised. “What happened, where am I?”
</p><p>
Instead of responding, Emily stood, beeped at him, and darted out of the room.
</p><p>
Hordak made another attempt at getting up, regretted it, and lay back once more.
</p><p>
*
</p><p>
 “Hi, Hordak!”
</p><p>
Entrapta. He must have passed out again. She was standing in the doorway, holding a tray laden with tiny food. She set it down on a table by the bed and stood over him. “Emily told me that you were awake, so I brought you some food.”
</p><p>
 “I see. Thank you.” He reached towards the tray and didn’t get halfway before he winced and withdrew his arm.
</p><p>
 “Oh, do you need some help sitting up?”
</p><p>
 “Yes.” Everything in him rebelled at acknowledging weakness, but Entrapta had already seen him pass out. The time for pretending at physical strength was past. “Please.”
</p><p>
In an instant her hair had wrapped around him, sitting him up while other strands of hair pushed pillows under his back. This time, he managed to pick up a plate from the tray and eat.
</p><p>
Entrapta picked up the other plate and sat cross-legged on the floor. She spoke between mouthfuls. “When you fell, I was really worried that you might have broken something, but it was just bruises. I didn’t know that you weren’t wearing anything to help your body move.” She looked up at him sadly. “Did – did Horde Prime get rid of that suit I made you?”
</p><p>
 “I think so. I think it must have been destroyed.” He took out the piece of First Ones’ tech that had powered it. “This is all that’s left of it now.”
</p><p>
She grinned at him. “Well, if you’ve got that then I can build you a new suit! It won’t even have to be armour any more. The war’s over. Ooh, I’m thinking lightweight. Maybe some padding on the inside to make it comfortable. But until it’s done, you should rest.”
</p><p>
The idea of lying in bed while Entrapta did all the work didn’t appeal to him. He stopped eating, a tiny cupcake halfway to his mouth. “Nonsense. I can help you with it.”
</p><p>
She did the – well he didn’t have a word for it, but she looked at him in a way that seemed to make her eyes get bigger and her face get sadder. “Hordak, you’ve been without your suit for weeks. It can’t have been good for your body, and you need time to recover.” She seemed to have an idea, and she brightened up. “I know! I’ll make you a wheelchair so that you can get up and move around. That way you won’t have to be stuck in bed while I make the suit.”
</p><p>
At first, he wanted to tell her no, tell her that he was more than strong enough to walk about on his own.
</p><p>
Except that his back was on fire, his shoulders ached, and his legs felt like they were made of pain. He doubted that he could stand up, let alone walk. It was the old fear, the fear that stemmed from the first time Prime had seen him collapse and sent him to die on the front lines. The fear that any frailty would be punished by death.
</p><p>
<i>Your imperfections are beautiful.</i>
</p><p>
 “Yes, Entrapta. I think I would like that.”
</p><p>
*
</p><p>
He dozed for a while, slipping in and out of consciousness. It must have been evening when Entrapta came back in and said, “So, uh, I thought I might sleep in one of the guest rooms, but they aren’t really ready for anyone to stay in, so… maybe we could share the bed?”
</p><p>
Hordak frowned, and for the first time, properly looked around the room.
</p><p>
Purple curtains. Purple blankets on the bed. In the corner, a desk cluttered with half-built tech.
</p><p>
 “This is your bedroom, isn’t it?”
</p><p>
 “Uh-huh.”
</p><p>
Something about the prospect of sharing a bed with Entrapta was making his heart beat faster. The clones didn’t sleep, kept awake by their connection to Prime, and in his time away from Prime, Hordak had slept on a narrow bed in a small sleeping cell behind his laboratory. He just wasn’t… used to sleeping with someone else close by.
</p><p>
 “Well,” he said, “I suppose, as a guest, it would be rude of me to force you out of your own bed. And I’m in no state to be going anywhere for – for a while,” <i>Do not feel bad about being weak. Your imperfections are beautiful. </i>“Yes, I suppose we could share.”
</p><p>
 “Great!”
</p><p>
Hordak was getting that warm feeling in his chest again.
</p><p>
*
</p><p>
Drowning.
</p><p>
He was drowning in green fluid. He tried to swim, but every movement was agony. He managed to get his head above the liquid, to take a few desperate gasps of air, before his brothers were pushing him back under, faces blank.
</p><p>
Horde Prime’s voice echoed in his ears.
</p><p>
 “All must suffer to become pure.”
</p><p>
*
</p><p>
Hordak woke, the nightmare still ringing around his head.
</p><p>
It took him a few moments to remember where he was.
</p><p>
In Entrapta’s bedroom. In Entrapta’s bed. Next to Entrapta.
</p><p>
She was curled up against him. He could hear the soft, gentle sounds of her breath. Strands of her hair were wrapped around him; not restrictive, more like she was just… holding him, in her sleep. Her hair was so soft, like a blanket but even better because it was her.
</p><p>
He was safe.
</p><p>
Prime was gone, and he was with Entrapta, and he was going to be with Entrapta for the rest of his life.
</p><p>
He was safe.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>One thing I noticed was that Hordak’s body type seemed to be exactly the same as the other clones’: in other words, stronger and not as thin as we’d seen him in earlier seasons. If Horde Prime had been able to cure Hordak of his disabilities, then I figured he would have done it instead of sending Hordak to die. So I decided that instead, the uniform look of the clones would be more about concealment, with the armour that the clones wear hiding the fact that Hordak’s body wasn’t as strong as the others’.</p><p>I also thought about the fact that Hordak would have been going without his suit for weeks. If he’d shown any physical weakness then Prime would have sent him away like before, so he must have hidden any pain he was in, which could have been quite a lot. After all, we’ve seen Hordak in a state where he can’t walk two paces without passing out. I wanted to address that here.</p><p>Comments and kudos = love</p><p>Disclaimer: I do now own the characters. I am not making money from this work.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She was so happy that he was back.
</p><p>
All the time that he’d been with Horde Prime, Entrapta had been worrying about him. She still remembered how desperate he’d been to prove to Prime that he was worth something, that he could make up for his so-called deficiencies. He’d been so caught up in proving himself that he hadn’t seen how bad Prime was for him.
</p><p>
When they infiltrated Prime’s ship Entrapta had looked at every single clone, wondering, <i>Is it him? Is this one Hordak? If I say the right thing to him, will he remember me?</i>
</p><p>
He remembered her now, of course, but it had been a scary time. She’d missed him so much; the first person she’d ever met who completely accepted her, weirdness included. He hadn’t minded that she was bad with people; he’d just liked the fact that she had good ideas about science.
</p><p>
She’d been so pleased when he accepted her offer of living with her in Dryl. She’d practically skipped all the way back to the castle, head full of plans for future projects – there were so many things she wanted to do with the tech that was sitting useless in Prime’s spires, things that would take years and years to get through.
</p><p>
And then Hordak had collapsed, and the joy had turned to ash in her mouth.
</p><p>
Even the tiniest prospect of losing him for good had felt like someone stabbing into her heart with a razor-thin needle.
</p><p>
But he’d only been unconscious, his body worn-out and battered by the trials of going about on Prime’s orders without the support of his suit.
</p><p>
When she’s carried him up to her bedroom, he’d definitely been thinner than she remembered.
</p><p>
But all he really needed was rest, and Entrapta was determined to make sure he got better.
</p><p>
*
</p><p>
Hordak had spent the first day in bed, drifting in and out of sleep, but by the next day, Entrapta had finished his wheelchair, and he’d been able to move about the castle.
</p><p>
As much as he wanted to help her build his new suit, he hadn’t been physically strong enough to even pick up some of the materials she was using to build it, so he’d been restricted to small, delicate work on circuits. He’d wanted to do more, but Entrapta had been able to tell that he was tired. Even though he’d left the Horde, he was still in the habit of hiding when he felt weak.
</p><p>
Still, he was getting better at asking for help. The frequent rest he’d been getting these past few days meant that he was stronger than he’d been, but he still needed help to transfer between the wheelchair and the bed sometimes, and he was starting to be able to ask her for help when he needed it.
</p><p>
It was strange. Normally Entrapta didn’t like touching people. It felt too close, too personal. It was easier to touch the world with her hair. But with Hordak, it felt kind of nice. She’d been able to touch him while she measured him for his new suit, and it had been fine, though he’d blushed while she worked around him with the tape measure.
</p><p>
And waking up in the morning curled up against him felt… good.
</p><p>
They’d had plenty of time to set up a spare bedroom for him, but neither of them had suggested it, and Entrapta was glad. Getting to fall asleep next to Hordak and wake up the same way was a constant reminder that they were together, that Horde Prime hadn’t succeeded in taking Hordak away and wiping out everything about him that made him who he was.
</p><p>
Also, he looked cute when he was sleeping.
</p><p>
*
</p><p>
He was sleeping now, in fact. He’d fallen asleep in his wheelchair while he watched her put the finishing touches on the joints for the shoulders of his new suit, and she’d covered him with a blanket.
</p><p>
Right now, he looked more himself than he had in a while.
</p><p>
He’d dyed his hair dark again, and done whatever he did to his eyes to get them back to the red they’d been when she first met him.
</p><p>
Entrapta had never taken much care with her own appearance, but she knew that it mattered to other people. She’d been jarred to her core when she saw him with his mind wiped, dressed in the blank white that all the clones wore, his hair bleached and his eyes an unfamiliar green. Seeing him put himself to rights with hair dye and the dark cosmetics around his eyes had reassured something deep within her.
</p><p>
She’d found him some clothes to wear. He hadn’t wanted to wear Horde symbols or colours anymore. They were going to find him nicer clothes once he was able to stand up and try things on by himself, but what she’d found for him would do for now: a long black skirt and a black sweater. They were both a little big for him – especially the sweater – but they were comfortable, and Entrapta thought that he needed some comfort after him time under Prime’s control.
</p><p>
Entrapta looked over at him. He was slumped against the back of the wheelchair, tucked into the blanket, chest rising and falling with the rhythm of his breathing, sharp collarbones jutting out from the neck of his sweater.
</p><p>
Hordak would never be physically healthy, but the suit she was making for him would support his body enough that he could walk about and stand without hurting. She couldn’t wait until he was wearing it so that she could start with fine-tuning the joints.
</p><p>
Hordak sniffed, woke, ran his hand through his hair. “I fell asleep again, didn’t I?”
</p><p>
 “Yeah, but don’t worry, I finished the circuit you’d been working on.”
</p><p>
 “I see.” He stretched, winced, and put his hand on the controls of his wheelchair. “I think I ought to go to bed.”
</p><p>
 “Sure. I’m just finishing up here, we can go together.” With that, Entrapta hopped on to the small platform that she’d added low down on the back of his chair, and Hordak hit the controls, speeding down the corridors of Crypto Castle while Entrapta laughed and held on to the back of the chair.
</p><p>
He only ever went that fast while she was riding with him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The reason why Hordak’s suit is taking longer to build than before is because the first time she adapted his suit, Entrapta was working off the suit that Hordak already had. Prime threw that suit away, so she’s starting from scratch.</p><p>Hordak canonically spent the first four seasons in a backless dress, so I figured he wouldn’t turn his nose up at a long skirt. And he gets a sweater too, because he deserves to be comfy.</p><p>And he gets to zoom around the castle with Entrapta clinging to the back of his wheelchair, because he deserves some fun.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hordak hadn’t realised how far he’d been pushing himself until he stopped.
</p><p>
His whole life up to this point had been continuous work: obeying Prime, fighting for Prime, falling to Etheria and spending countless years trying to conquer it so that Prime would find him worthy, getting back under Prime’s control, obeying Prime, fighting for Prime.
</p><p>
And not for a single moment had he been allowed to rest. Not for a single moment had he<i> allowed himself</i> to rest.
</p><p>
But after several weeks of sleeping as long as he needed and eating three times a day, he felt better than he had in years. The strongest he’d felt since his body first started to show its defects. Still weak and feeble, but the pain was now only an unpleasant memory.
</p><p>
Even the nightmares were less frequent.
</p><p>
He suspected that waking up next to Entrapta every morning had something to do with that.
</p><p>
They were running the last of the tests on his new suit. They’d built an obstacle course in one of Dryl’s many corridors to test the way it boosted his strength and range of movement. At first, he’d had to stop every few metres so that they could fix the errors as they came up, but now everything was running smoothly. With the suit fitting snug to his body, Hordak felt strong.
</p><p>
Entrapta had even managed to find him some more clothes; an outfit like the one he’d worn while he was on Etheria, but without the Horde symbol. Hordak was done with that pattern of wings. These days, the only symbol he needed was the purple piece of First Ones’ tech that was powering his suit. Entrapta’s gift to him. He was never going to lose it again.
</p><p>
Wearing what he wanted to wear, with his eyes back to red and lined with dark smudges, his hair dyed the way he liked it, his suit keeping his movements smooth and painless, Hordak felt like the best version of himself that he’d ever been.
</p><p>
Entrapta seemed to think so, too.
</p><p>
She clicked the stopwatch off and grinned. “That was your fastest time yet!”
</p><p>
He smiled back at her. He’d been doing that a lot, lately. This past month he must have smiled and laughed more than he had in his entire life before that. “I think we’re done with testing it.”
</p><p>
 “Definitely. How do you feel?”
</p><p>
 “I feel… wonderful,” he said truthfully.
</p><p>
 “Great!” she said, using her hair to push herself up to his height. And then she – 
</p><p>
Oh.
</p><p>
She kissed him on the cheek.
</p><p>
It felt…
</p><p>
It felt amazing.
</p><p>
He ought to do something back. He could feel himself blushing. Not wanting to wait too long, he kissed her on the cheek.
</p><p>
Entrapta giggled. It was perhaps the most perfect sound in the universe.
</p><p>
He didn’t have much time to contemplate it, though, because then she took his face in both her hands and kissed him again. On the mouth.
</p><p>
For a moment, Hordak found himself thoroughly incapable of coherent thought. When he came back to himself, Entrapta was looking at him worriedly. “Was that okay?” she asked. “Are – are you okay with the fact that I kissed you?”
</p><p>
 “Yes,” he managed to choke out. “It was… very pleasant.” He cupped her face in his hand and kissed her, longer than before, cherishing the moment. Her lips were so soft.
</p><p>
And then Entrapta was laughing and kissing him back, and it was the best thing that had ever happened to him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hordak isn’t good with expressing his feelings, but that doesn’t mean he should miss out on smooches.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>